Oil industry hit by skills shortage

Warnings that oil industry safety standards are being jeopardised by a shortage of experienced staff are supported by a report released today (March 11). \"The Global Oil & Gas Workforce Survey: Expectations for hires and pay rates in the oil and gas industry (H1) 2013\" was jointly conducted by OilCareers.com, the international jobs board for the oil and gas industry, and partner Air Energi, a global provider of manpower solutions to energy sector.   The study pointed out that ensuring the right personnel are on the ground in the right place will present a continuing challenge for the worldwide oil and gas industry. The continued investment across the Middle East has been overshadowed by an amplified need for skilled expertise in the workforce, said the survey report which was published today (March 11). Oil industry safety standards are being jeopardised by a shortage of experienced staff, it added. The survey requested information and opinions from more than 170,000 oil and gas professionals worldwide. The Middle East is one of seven major oil and gas producing regions represented in the survey with respondents being drawn from over 50 countries. More than 15,500 were either direct recruiters or senior decision makers. About 32 per cent of respondents said the on-going skills shortage was the biggest threat to the industry, while over 20 per cent of them identified the lack of skilled trainers as a major training issue, it added.  TradeArabia News